Incredible Workshops all day Saturday
This year on Saturday afternoon the Festival is offering a series of small, very hands on workshops that are limited to 15 people per session. All of them will be at the Mogan Center. They are more varied than last year. We will consider running more sessions if they are oversubscribed – and if we know that soon. So please – if you want to participate in these workshops sign up for a seat now and tell your friends about them.
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What You Can Do
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Saturday Afternoon Workshops at the Mogan Cultural Center
40 French Street, Lowell, MA
How to Be a Good Public Reader of Your Own Poetry I with Patrick Donnelly
Writing poetry and reading it well in public are two different skills, and unfortunately even many good poets are not effective at presenting their work for an audience. We’ll review the elements and skills that contribute to a good reading, and discuss how to use readings to market your publications. You’ll go home with strategies for dealing with nerves, tips for pleasing reading organizers, audiences, and–perhaps most importantly–yourself. Come prepared to read a short poem; two participants will be chosen to receive coaching, master-class style, while the audience learns from watching. Open to poets at all levels. This workshop will be offered twice once at noon and then again at 1:00. Each class is limited to 15. Reserve your seats today: Noon or 1pm.
Zoom in/Zoom Out: A workshop in Revising with Kathleen Aguero
Do you have a poem you’re struggling to revise? This workshop will take you through a step-by-step process designed to help you explore new possibilities in those poems you just haven’t been able to get right. Bring a draft of a poem and come prepared to write. Hopefully, by the end of this workshop you’ll have a new start on an old poem and a few revision strategies to take away with you. This workshop will be offered once at 1:00 and will be limited to 15. Reserve your seat today: http://zoom.eventbrite.com/ (There is another revision class later in the afternoon; see below.)
Exercise in Free Writing with Barbara Helfgott Hyett & PoemWorks
Back by popular demand from last year’s festival, Barbara Helfgott Hyett will offer one session of her Free Write Workshop. Exercise your creativity through “free writing” exercises meant to inspire! First, enjoy a reading by a master poet. Once read, you will write off one of the lines of poetry against a timer. Everyone’s creative potential is realized when these “new” pieces are then read aloud. Several members of the Workshop for Publishing Poets will guide these unique writing sessions and offer comments on whatever flows. Offered once at 2:00pm and limited to 15 participants. Reserve your seat today: http://poemworks.eventbrite.com/
Poem Generator with Grub Street
You’ve read and heard great poems throughout the festival – now it’s time to create some of your own. Join instructors from the faculty of Grub Street – Boston’s premier independent writing center – as they lead festival attendees in innovative, fun and meaningful poetry exercises. These unique prompts have been used in Grub Street’s multi-week poetry courses for years, and have generated numerous accomplished and published poems. The goal is to complete 2-4 exercises in an hour, leaving time for writers to share their work aloud if they wish. On request, instructors will also offer constructive feedback. This workshop is offered twice, once at 2:00 PM and once at 3:00 and each session is limited to 15 participants. Reserve your seat today: 2pm or 3pm
Revision Workshop with Wendy Mnookin
Do you have poems that you want to take to the next level? Often as writers we know that a poem needs something more, but we can’t identify what that “more” is. In this workshop, we will identify places within the poem–an energetic line, a compelling stanza–that can provide springboards to new material. Using prompts given by the instructor, we will generate new material through free-writes and explore how to mine this material for language, syntax and tone to enhance the poem. Please bring two poems that you would like to work on. This workshop is offered once at 3:00 and is limited to 15 participants. Reserve your seat today: http://wendymnookin.eventbrite.com/
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Festival Schedule
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Again, we are keeping these workshops small so that each participant will be able to get the most out of them. We are offering seats in them on a first come basis – so please sign up to reserve your seat. And just as important, pass on the word to your friends who may want to reserve a seat as well. Spread the word to all your friends and fellow poetry supporters about the entire Festival. Suggest to them that they check in at www.masspoetry.org several times a week as we frequently will be updating more information about the 2009 Festival.You can even follow us on Twitter, where we highlight a different event every day – http://twitter.com/masspoetry
And of course we need your financial help. Obviously – all this costs money. Perhaps you don’t realize this – but we are committed to paying each of the poets who lead these workshops for their time and their talents. All too often, poets are asked to contribute their time for free. No one asks a dentist to pull a tooth for free. No one expects a plumber to fix a drain for free. Poets should be paid for their work. To do that we need to ask you to make a contribution – of whatever amount you can. Please make a donation not just to support the Festival but to make it possible for us to pay our workshop leaders and poets. Make a donation today.
Thank you for everything you do — for poetry!
The Massachusetts Poetry Festival Organizing Committee
PS: Every dollar counts — please donate today!
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